$10aDay Child Care in BC Budget. A Missed Economic Opportunity! 

With Trump’s tariffs, much is out of government’s control. What is in their control is helping families with affordability through access to quality $10aDay child care.

“In a budget that claims to support the critical services British Columbians rely on, it is noteworthy that in year 8 of their 10-year plan, the provincial budget for child care is not increasing.” says Sharon Gregson, Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC. “The small increase in $10aDay child care spending is wholly due to the federal government.”

Sadly, this Budget continues to create winners and losers in child care. Some families have won the child care lottery with access to $10aDay programs. Others are struggling to pay high fees – or have no child care at all and are desperate on waiting lists.

This is particularly worrying at a time when government needs economic development to stimulate our economy. As resource projects are now being fast- tracked to create jobs in BC – child care is absolutely necessary for parents, particularly women, with young children to be able to go to work.

We wonder how it is that 9 other provinces & territories are able to cap ALL their parent fees (even Alberta and Ontario) – but BC has only capped fees in 10% of the spaces in our province? “How is it”, asks Emily Mlieczko of the Early Childhood Educators of BC, “that 7 other provinces and territories have been able to implement publicly-funded wage grids for their early childhood educators, but BC has not?”

Some parents with school-age children may have some good news in the next 2-4 years as 10 new schools are planned to include “neighbourhood centres of learning” which can be used as shared space for before & after school programs.

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